President Obama's Statement on Keeping the Internet Open and Free

The President:
Hi everybody.

Ever since the

internet was created,

it's been organized

around basic principles

of openness, fairness,

and freedom.

There are no gatekeepers

deciding which sites

you get to access.

There are no toll roads on

the information superhighway.

This set of principles,

the idea of net neutrality,

has unleashed the

power of the internet,

and given innovators

the chance to thrive.

Abandoning these

principles would threaten

to end the internet

as we know it.

That's why I'm

laying out a plan

to keep the internet

free and open.

And that's why
I'm urging

the Federal
Communications Commission

to do everything
they can to protect

net neutrality
for everyone.

They should make it clear that
whether you use a computer,

phone or tablet, internet
providers have a legal

obligation not to block or
limit your access to a website.

Cable companies can't
decide which online stores

you can shop at, or
which streaming services

you can use.

And they can't let any
company pay for priority

over its competitors.

To put these
protections in place,

I'm asking the FCC to reclassify
internet service under

Title II of a law known as
the Telecommunications Act.

In plain English, I'm asking
them to recognize that for most

Americans, the internet has
become an essential part

of everyday communication
and everyday life.

The FCC is an
independent agency,

and ultimately this
decision is theirs alone.

But the public has
already commented nearly

four million times, asking
the FCC to make sure

that consumers, not the cable
company, gets to decide

which sites they use.

Americans are making
their voices heard,

and standing up for the
principles that make

the internet a powerful
force for change.

As long as I'm
president, that's what

I'll be fighting for, too.